Did you know that Dream kids from all over the country are going to the Democratic Convention?
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After 10 states and more than fifteen cities, we will arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina today.
The city is the home to one of the biggest promoters of the 287(g) deportation program. It will be host to the Democratic National Convention. And it is the place that people like Isaide Serrano, a pregnant mother of five and member of La Familia Unida who faces deportation court on Tuesday, live their lives. Charlotte is also the site of our last week of the No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice. [ Can you donate to feed the riders for the rest of the week? ] While the immigrant community and our friends have opened their doors wide to welcome us, County Commissioners Bill James and Jim Pendergraph have tried to do the opposite. In hearing about our pending arrival, James introduced a proposal to investigate students’ immigration status in Mecklenburg County. The bill was handily voted down but what’s happening in Charlotte is a microcosm of our whole journey. A city with so much potential, being held back by the backward prejudice of hateful politicians and propelled forward by good people working for change. It’s a town like every town, tangled in immigration policies and trying to decide between exclusion and inclusion. We’re showing up to support Charlotte and the nation in turning that tide from hate to human rights. We’ll meet with groups resisting deportation to reach a new level of organizing and we’ll continue to risk everything to inspire officials to do more. We’ll be marching against Wall Street South on Sunday, celebrating our culture on Monday, and rallying throughout next week. When we started in Arizona we showed we were no longer afraid. In Birmingham, we showed that it’s no longer acceptable to talk about about us without us. In Knoxville, our oldest and youngest riders stood up to the spread of the deportation machine. After so many stops, we’ve seen that today’s immigration policies are causing a nation-wide human rights crisis and we’ve met migrant communities ready and strong enough to stop it. Starting tonight, we’ll bring all of that with us to Charlotte. If you haven’t already, sign-up on the social media team to receive breaking updates as events happen this week. Stay tuned for more! No Papers No Fear Riders
PS Can you donate $30 to help cover food for the riders for the rest of the week?
PPS Watch the latest videos, hear a new song from Olmeca, and read up on the No papers no fear blog. http://nopapersnofear.org |
I think the party should be featuring some of these kids on the stage. But they don’t want anything to do with them, unfortunately.
One of the riders wrote on their blog:
One of the riders, Eleazar said the other day, “Vamos para contar nuestras penas.” [translation: We are going to tell of our hardships]. As the Democrats enter this convention to renew their purpose, these bus riders arrive in Charlotte fighting for their lives. We need the Democrats to change course on the racist criminalization of our communities. We demand an end to the InSecure Communities program, 287g. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio must be brought to justice. These are lofty goals, but with many miles behind us, tears, and memories of the many stories of so many people who live this every day – we’re here to try.
This group of riders comes to say here I am. This is how these policies have affected me, my family, my community. To come out of the shadows and shine a light on the things no one sees, perhaps no one knows. To tell a story in hopes of reaching understanding. Willing to risk it all to be heard and considered. To show we have no fear, but that we also do not hate.
So Charlotte it is. Why not the RNC? They’ve chosen their side of history. The wrong one.
We can’t wait for it to be politically safe or feasible to pressure Obama and the Democrats. We’ve come too far to go back. There is too much to lose, and too many have been lost along the way.
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